A Different Kind of Reality
by Daggzandarrows
Summary: When Robin meets a young boy, lost and alone in Boston, he can't help but to aid in getting him home. Once there he meets Henry's mother, the beautiful Mayor Mills, will he be able to leave this new town knowing that someone such as her exists? OQ/RB Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**I am currently in the process of transferring my OQ stories from an account that was mainly my SQ stories - ChelseaDaggz - so bear with me. I'm also editing as I go along to try and make the story a little better. I hope it's okay and that you enjoy reading it :)**

He shouldn't ask, it's not his place, not in any sense of the word not only because he barely knows the young man sitting in the back of his car but also because he has absolutely no idea of his mental state save for the little bit of conversation he'd managed to maintain the whole way here but then the boy had been so distressed, sniffling pitifully in between broken sentences, had looked up at the large mansion with something in those dark eyes akin to fear and Robin wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't ask, so he bites the bullet, steels himself for whatever the answer may be and he asks.

"Henry," he began tentatively, his eyes on the boy through the rear view mirror. He's not poorly dressed, had at least had the foresight (and the supplies which suggests that his parent/caretaker at least _provides_ for the boy) to dress warmly before he'd done a runner from home and nor does he look poorly fed, not like the children Robin sometimes comes across at the shelter. On the surface he looks just like a normal boy, no cuts, no bruises, nothing but, as Robin himself knows, not every mark is visible. "Henry," he tried again, sighing at his own cowardice because this could most certainly open a whole can of worms if it turns out that home isn't safe for him, "did you run away from anyone in particular?" he asked, completely unsure of what crossed the lines of delicacy, of what may scare the child and keep him from answering, keep him from telling the truth.

He looked away from his garden path with a brow furrowed, finding Robin's eyes in the mirror with questions of his own evident in his dark orbs.

He didn't understand, was that fear? Denial? Or had he misjudged this completely? Making a drama out of a simple misunderstanding…in all honesty, despite the implications of his question, he quite hoped that he was wrong and that he had done the right thing in bringing the boy back, half hoped that inside the walls of the somewhat foreboding was a kind, caring mother and father waiting anxiously for their son to return home…but what if there wasn't? What if his assumption was completely founded and his wariness justified? He had to know. It was with that thought in mind that he exhaled a steadying breath, reached down to unbuckle his seatbelt and turned to face the boy still awaiting an explanation patiently in the back seat.

"Why did you run away from home Henry?" he asks plainly, hoping he's gained enough of the boy's trust to hear the truth, "because if you're unhappy…" he continued when Henry remained confused, "if someone's making you unhappy Henry, there are people you can talk to," he nodded encouragingly, a little confused himself when Henry's brow furrowed further, "places you can go if you feel at all… _unsafe."_

And it seemed to click in his head then, what Robin's implying, because his eyes grow wide as his hands come up, palm outwards as he insists "my Mom's not hurting me if that's what you mean" he's seen enough of the commercials on television aimed at children, telling them to call if anyone is hurting them, making them do things they don't want to and that's not right at all, "she would never hurt me," he continues, sounds almost pleading because he doesn't want Robin to think of his mother like that, doesn't want him to assume she'd do such a thing to him, "I wasn't running _away_ , I was-" he begins to explain but it's at that moment that both hear the echoed shout of his name and turn to find a silhouette emerging from the mansion, a true image unable to be made out with the darkness of the night and the distance but Henry knows instantly if his shout of "Mom!" is anything to go by.

Within 5 seconds he has unbuckled his seat belt and is throwing the car door open, jumping from the vehicle and sprinting through the gate left open towards, Robin has deduced, his mother. He doesn't follow right away, merely processes what Henry had been saying…he hadn't been running _away?_ He hadn't been _running_ away? It just didn't make sense but, as he glances over to find mother and son embracing, the mother still not completely visible with her distance from him and the backlighting of the porch light throwing her face into further darkness, but he could tell she was looking towards his car, no doubt wanting an explanation from her son about just whose car he had willingly hopped into, he decided to cut the kid a little slack and climb out himself.

The air was cold, biting as the night breeze washed over him when he stepped onto the pavement, closing the door a little louder than necessary and wincing with the silence of the area around them indicating many most likely to be sleeping (or at least trying to sleep) and what a great first impression to make, waking the neighbours, _well done Robin._ If he thought the place was foreboding from the car then it most certainly was in actuality with its neatly trimmed hedges lining the yard, the perfectly white wooden gate that swung without noise and with complete ease as he stepped through it onto the beautifully cobbled pathway, the grass on either side freshly mowed it seemed and vibrantly green even under the shadow of night. He felt like he was lowering the property value just by breathing on it. Looking up, he found the house to be just as aesthetically pleasing as the yard but looking up also brought Henry's mother into complete view with his closer proximity and there was nothing as aesthetically pleasing as she.

She was still wrapped around her son, most likely satisfied that she would soon gain the answers she needed and wanting to feel his warmth in her arms once again, her perfectly toned arms around his shoulders and his back. Her head was on Henry's shoulder, her face turned into his hair as she inhaled her boy's scent. He could see that her eyes were closed, savouring, possibly staving off her tears and he wondered if they were the same colour as her son's, decided, by her colouring, that they most likely were, dark and almost impossible to read. Her hair was not short but not quite long, it fell just past her shoulder, or so it seemed with the way she was stood. It shone in the light, though he believed it would look just as vibrant, as silky in any light and, strangely, he found himself wanting to stick around to find out, _don't be an idiot Robin._

It was just as he had internally scolded himself that she finally began moving to unwrap herself from Henry, that she turned her face towards him as she straightened up and her eyes fell upon him. Dark, just as he had assumed, but filled with a myriad of emotions, far too many for him to name or even try to decipher, especially when she was parting those beautifully full lips, was making her way over to him, the clicking of her heels causing his eye to drop down and take in her sinfully toned legs encased in thin nylon before trailing back up to find her in a slate grey dress he assumed to be her own take on office wear, _what did Henry say she did again?_

"I'm Mayor Mills," she introduced with a hand raised out towards him, a perfectly polite smile gracing her features despite the tears still shimmering on her cheeks, she hadn't quite managed to keep them at bay it seemed but in that moment, all Robin could focus on was the smoky tones that practically caressed his ears as she awaited his response.

His mouth opened, closed, and opened again dumbly before he was able to stammer out "R-Robin," and take that outstretched hand into his own, trying to ignore the slight tingle he felt when they made contact and holding back a shiver when her soft skin slid against his own upon letting go. She was looking at him curiously and, in all honesty, it was only then that he remembered why he was here in the first place. He looked over her shoulder to find Henry moving into the house with a man Robin hadn't noticed before, _of course she's not single,_ and why the hell would that bother him? She was a complete stranger, it wasn't as if he had a chance anyway. Just as he was about to enter the home, Henry turned and met Robin's eye, gave him a wave of thanks before he was gone.

"My son tells me you found him wandering the streets of Boston?" she brought his attention back to her, though his eyes found the small, almost unnoticeable freckle at the corner of her mouth, _would it disappear when she smiled?_ And what the hell was wrong with him?! He'd never found himself so affected by anyone in his life.

He shook his head subtly to clear his mind enough to actually _talk_ to this woman, meeting her eyes once more as he nodded (and was that amusement dancing within there now? Did she know what she was doing to him just by standing in front of him?)

"Yeah, he uh…" he began, kicking himself for being such a dunce in front of her, what the hell was she going to think of him if he couldn't even form a coherent sentence?! "He looked pretty scared and rightly so," her eyes flashed then, a panic reminding him that she had probably been sat in her house thinking of the worst possible scenarios with every passing second that her son was gone, "Boston can be a scary place but luckily," he wanted to reassure her, to put her mind at ease, "he'd just stepped out of the apartment complex I live in, looked a little upset so I stopped and asked if he was okay," he explained, not surprised that she still eyed him a little warily, "he wouldn't talk to me right away," he laughed, "you've taught him well," and she smiled then, a small thing but it was a smile all the same, almost reaching her eyes, "but then I explained that I work for the child welfare department at the police station, could help him get to where he needed to be if he so desired," he pulled his badge from his pocket then, held it out for her perusal and, as he expected, she took it instantly, looking over his badge and ID until she seemed to accept he was who he said he was, "and he told me that the person he thought would be able to help, who he'd come to see, wasn't where they were supposed to be" she sighed at that, a small furrowing of her brow that he recognised as disappointment but would not press, it wasn't his business, "and asked if I could help get him home."

She sighed again at that, her arms crossing over her chest reminding him that he was cold, even with his leather jacket and here she stood in just a dress. It was as he was about to ask if she wanted to borrow his jacket, just whilst they talked, that the man from before appeared behind her, his hands gentle upon her shoulders as she turned her face towards his. _Don't kiss him, please don't kiss him._ And seriously, what the hell was wrong with him?! He didn't even know this woman!

"Henry's down for the night," the man explained as the brunette nodded at him with a thankful smile, bringing a hand up to rest lightly atop one on her shoulder as he continued, "I'll see you tomorrow Regina."

She smiled once again before replying, "Thank you for everything Sheriff," S _heriff? Well then, that was comforting._

They both watched as the newly identified Sheriff gave a short wave of goodbye as he passed before he was disappearing down the street, Robin had deduced that it was something of a small town but perhaps it was even smaller than he had assumed if the man had walked here as opposed to driving. It was the brunette's inhale that had him looking back to her, ready to take his leave too since he'd probably already taken up too much of her time as it was now that she had her son back home. It was as he opened his mouth to tell her such a thing that she stopped him with her own words.

"How would you like a glass of the best cider you've ever tasted, Robin?"

She was smiling a little more freely now, a little more at ease he assumed with her son home and, in all honesty, he was pretty tired of driving for the moment, perhaps he could ask her for directions to a local hotel. He could get his head down for the night, recharge his batteries, have a nice breakfast and get himself back to reality tomorrow but first "I'd love to Mayor Mills," he replied with an easy smile, beginning to follow her as she made her way back towards her house.

She looked over her shoulder only to tell him, "please, call me Regina," before climbing the steps up the porch and moving across and through her open door leaving Robin no other option than to follow and reply with a much too happy, _"okay, Regina."_


	2. Chapter 2

He wakes slowly and with a certain grogginess about him, frowning into the pillow his face is burrowed into until he remembers why he's feeling a little stale. The cider had certainly been a little stronger than she'd let on last night and had, thankfully, allowed him to ease into conversation with her without worrying about sounding like a complete prat, though he can't quite recall if he'd tried to hit on her or not…no, he mustn't have because he can remember laughter, _lots_ of laughter, more so towards the end of the night but she'd been cheerful, jovial and bright eyed with Henry's return and had allowed the boy to stay up a little past his bedtime, had sat with him cuddled to her chest, sitting on her lap on the couch with his legs curled up inside her own, his socked toes slotted between the sofa and the legs she had crossed around him (she'd changed into silk pyjamas with unnecessary apologies to Robin about her need for casual, comfy attire but it had been a very long day and she wanted to hold her boy close without the restriction of her dress) as she'd stroked lean fingers through his hair all the while talking to Robin, Henry sometimes conversing himself though the mini adventure that he'd had seemed to be catching up to him with the way his eyelids dropped and he fell heavier against his mother's chest, one arm wedged between them whilst the other was pressed against her chest with his fingers clutching at the soft collar of her pyjama top.

She'd sent him up to bed a little while later, had kissed his cheek and whispered soft words to him that Robin couldn't hear nor had he tried to because it was clearly between mother and son and he felt he'd pried enough into their business for one day, no matter how unintentionally it had been. Whatever was said had had Henry pulling back to grin at her with wide questioning eyes and when she'd only nodded in confirmation of his silent question and pursed lips to hold back her own grin, he'd _whooped_ with delight and thrown his arms around her neck, forcing her back a little with the force of his hug (though she didn't seem to mind), declaring that she was _the best Mom ever._ Robin had seen then how Henry's declaration had pulled tears to her eyes, had watched as she'd closed those dark delights and turned her face into her son's neck, nuzzling there for a moment as she held him around the waist with one arm resting against the length of his back in order to tangle gentle fingers into his boyish locks with the other, before he was pulling back with an _I love you!_ And a _g'night Robin, thanks for bringing me home_ to which he'd replied with a smile and a _my pleasure,_ because seeing the love so clearly shared between the boy and his mother, it was more thanks than was necessary and had him so very glad that his first assumption, that perhaps Henry was a child running away from an abusive home, was so very wrong.

She'd brought out the cider when Henry's door had clicked shut and the sound of him moving around his room had quietened indicating that he was in bed, she had poured Robin a generous helping from the crystal decanter that sat upon the coffee table between them (he had watched the way in which the muscles of her toned arms had flexed as she'd moved to place it there) before pouring a smaller glass for herself, telling him that the drink was well deserved for him and long overdue for her after waking to find her son's bed empty and sheets cold with the absence of him.

They'd talked, had spoken of everything that had happened that day prior to Robin arriving with Henry. She'd told him of how hard Henry had found it when he'd discovered he was adopted, something he was more than surprised she was willingly sharing with him, and how, at first, he'd shunned her, had shut her out of everything that he was thinking, that he was feeling and though he'd long since come to terms with his heritage and had even met his birth mother a couple of times over the years, when he'd disappeared she'd feared instantly that he'd never return to her. Robin had comforted her, told her that Henry's love for her was not in any question nor doubt, especially not with how he'd instantly defended her in the car when Robin had made the assumption that he had run away from an abusive home, something he told her with a little apprehension and an apology to finish it off. She had reassured him that anyone would have come to that same conclusion when finding a lost boy and she'd thanked him for finding him and for bringing him home to her again, for insuring his safety when he could have just left him _"many others would have"_. They'd then moved onto lighter topics, memories of childhood (his spent in a small little village in the south and England and hers spent in this very town), memories of schooling, silly inconsequential things that meant nothing to hear but certainly something to know.

Yes, he'd had a delightful night with Mayor Regina and was quite looking forward to seeing her again, if she would allow it. Right now though, with the early rumblings of an empty stomach, Robin was quite content to mosey on down to the diner this B&B was connected to and see just what spoils a town like this could offer a stranger like him.

* * *

The place was full, brimming with the sounds of life as he walked through the swinging door leading from the B&B into the diner. He liked it instantly, the sounds of cutlery clinking against crockery, of loud laughter, of children chattering to their parents, to their small friends, speaking in their own little language. There was an air of happiness that danced around him and lingered on him, clinging to the cotton of his jumper, to the dark wash denim of his jeans as he took in the place from his spot just in front of the door leading out into the B&B hallway.

He was somewhat unashamed in his silent admission of idiocy as he glances around at the faces once again, looking, searching for the town's illustrious mayor and her son. They didn't seem to have arrived yet, he looked to the clock hanging above the entrance to the diner door, rather modern in its clean cut design for a place that looks as though it has fallen right out of the 80's. It read 9:52 am and he thinks he recalls her mentioning something about 10:30 breakfast in the diner _"if you're around at all"_ …or is his desperate mind supplying that to appease the disappointment that she is not yet here? He's not certain but, when a rather stocky fellow with a gruff voice to match his beard nudges past him, muttering something about _damn tourists_ when Robin apologises for being in the way, his accent easily identifiable, he decided it probably best to find a seat of his own.

There aren't many free, this place certainly popular and he thinks of the no-nonsense woman who'd shown him to his room last night, informing him that she would allow his lateness just this once, since it was his first night (he'd asked for an open arrangement, somewhat strange when he'd told himself that he'd leave the day after dropping Henry off), but that the door to the B&B was locked at 9:30pm sharp. He'd nodded, whispered his apologies as she'd led him through the dimly lit corridor and thanked her kindly when she'd handed the key over, hoping that he didn't smell of the cider he'd been consuming until only a half hour before he'd gotten there.

She's nowhere to be seen as of yet, a tall leggy brunette weaving around the floor in shorts barely appropriate and bright red to match the colour of her lips, Regina's had been darker the night before, a dangerous blood red to match the apples that had been arranged in a square shaped bowl that rested upon her coffee table, shining in the dim light of the room they'd sat in and he wondered if he'd ever experience such a night again.

He waited patiently and from a respectful distance as the young woman piled the dirty dishes from the only table available to sit at, a couple having left only a moment ago, and to her credit the girl was certainly quick. She flashed him a brilliantly white smile as she turned and found him waiting, indicating for him to sit with a nod of her head towards the bright red (to match her lips and shorts) bench seat and informing him that she'd be back in a couple of minutes to take his order.

"Take your time," he told her with a smile of his own, pouring himself into the booth and sliding the menu across to him from beside the window, the plastic covering scratching where it met the raised abrasions on the table top.

It was a rather generic menu, delicious sounding and, if the amount of custom was anything to go by, good quality food – it certainly smelt amazing. With his job, with being on the move all of the time, working late hours and having no one at home to cook for, he often frequented places like this, had become well versed in reading the atmosphere, the buzz, in finding it's worth before wasting his minimal time and hard earned cash in a dump. This place though, he could feel something special, something he hadn't before, something wonderfully (and strangely) homely.

The young waitress returned only moments after he'd made his decision, a cream ceramic mug and pot of coffee filling both hands and her smile just as wide as before as she placed the cup down and slid it over to him before pouring a delicious black steaming stream into it. "So, you're new in town huh?" she asked somewhat conversationally and somewhat curiously, her eyes flicking between him and the coffee cup he hadn't asked for yet was certainly grateful for, a little film of hangover clinging to him still.

"I am," he gave back with a smile, pulling his mug even closer to him when she'd finished her pouring and humming at the warmth of the mug as he cupped his hands around it, palms curved as he caught the genuine surprise hidden behind her friendly eyes, it had him frowning a little as he asked "I'm guessing you don't get many visitors then?"

"Nope," she sighed as she laid down a spoon for him, though he drank his coffee black and with no sugar and therefore had no need for the utensil, before she was pulling out her notepad from its place between her hip and the tightly tied straps of her waist apron, the empty pages looking fewer than those she'd already written on, curled over the top of the pad and indented with deeply scribed orders of customers past, a testament to how truly busy this place must be for the thing didn't look to be worn from time nor particularly old, whilst a pencil freshly sharpened peeked out from behind her ear before she was slipping it into her fingers. "I'm quite shocked that you even found the place, the only people living here were either born here or brought by someone who was born here," she told him with a slanted smile of resignation to the lifestyle and he supposed it truly was a small town, he wouldn't have even noticed the exit for the place if Henry hadn't been directing him. "So, what'll it be?"

And so that was the end of the small talk it seemed, it was as he opened his mouth to speak, to give her his order that he heard the tinkling of a bell, an accompanying breeze indicating that someone had entered, _two_ someone's it seemed, the very someone's he'd been hoping to see yet hadn't been expecting for at least another half hour. The waitress turned as he did, her smile widening as she spotted Henry beside his mother, hollering him over and, though he probably shouldn't have taken pride in the fact, he couldn't help but feel good at the way the boy's eyes brightened at the sight of him when the tall brunette moved aside to greet him.

"Hey Rubes," he wrapped his arms around her middle, giving her a friendly squeeze before removing his right arm in order to face Robin fully, "are you staying?" was the very first thing that came out of his mouth, his eyes seemingly hopeful as the waitress, Ruby it seemed, looked down at the boy with a furrowed brow.

"You know each other?" she looked to Robin and then back to Henry again, her arm around his shoulders with a hand gripping lightly at his upper arm, catching the guilt in his gaze before he dropped those eyes to his feet. She gave him a little nudge as she prompted "Henry?"

He sighed deeply, peering around to find his mother at the counter, handing the apples he'd helped her pick that morning over to Ashley and asking her to take them in the back to Granny with a polite smile. He looked back up at Ruby and told her "I went to Boston…"

"Oh Henry," Ruby sighed, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze of comfort in response to the disappointment so clear in his dark eyes. He shrugged against her, giving her the smallest of smiles, all he could manage at the moment before looking back at Robin. It seemed she too knew of the significance of Boston where the Mills family was concerned.

"Robin found me and brought me back," he finished, tilting his head towards his makeshift saviour.

"All the way from Boston?"

Robin smiled at the brunette somewhat bashfully for he could see the tinge of awe in her eyes, wasn't quite one for praise nor misplaced pride and so he answered sheepishly "it was nothing" with a hand rubbing self-consciously at the back of his neck.

"On the contrary," all gazes turned to find Regina making her way closer to the table, her plum patent heels clicking rhythmically against the laminate flooring as she looked only at Robin, placing a hand upon Henry's shoulder as she stopped behind him, Ruby moving aside to give her room as she continued "it was _everything._ " Her hair was down, gently curled to frame her face and falling about her shoulders, her dark eyes bright, much too bright for the strength of the alcohol she'd joined him in drinking last night but then he had no doubt that she'd look stunning in whatever state she found herself. Her lips were painted to match the shoes that he'd found to be sticking somewhat in his mind…or was it the way in which they accentuated her strong slim legs? He found himself unable to ponder the thought when those very lips parted to reveal brilliant white teeth as she asked "mind if we join you?"

He was taken aback for a moment, had been going to ask her and her son to join him anyway but found himself surprised that she'd been the one to ask. He supposed though, with the little that he knew of her, it was completely _unsurprising_ that she would do such a thing. She was nothing if not assertive and perceptive, it was the latter that had him damning the fact that she'd chosen to wear such a wonderfully tight black pencil skirt with a white buttoned blouse and black blazer, shirt buttons straining over her bust for how was he supposed to keep his eyes off of such a beautiful creature?

* * *

"How long are you staying for?" Henry asked around a mouthful of pancakes, giving his mother a sheepish smile when she admonished him for talking with his mouth full, cutting her own little stack into bite size pieces and dipping them daintily into the small puddle of syrup she'd drizzled onto her plate. Robin's brain had practically short-circuited when a bead of sweetness had remained on her bottom lip after a bite, glistening in the light as he'd attempted to make sense of the words Henry had spoken, blinking hard twice to pull him out of the trance she'd put him in, intentional or not.

"I uh…" he began dumbly, _I really need to get a grip of myself,_ he thought, pausing to take a mouthful of his coffee, giving himself a little time to wake up, needing the burn of the liquid to pull him back to reality before replying somewhat honestly "I hadn't really thought about it Henry," and though he wasn't sure of the relevance of the subject, he couldn't help but add "but I do have a few weeks' holiday from work…"

Regina's eyebrows raised at that, her posture straightening even more (if that was possible) as she insisted almost instantly "well, then you must stay," and _oh, that was why his treacherous mouth had overridden his brain._ "Graham has been grousing on at me for weeks that he's been looking for a little help in the Sherriff's office," she began explaining somewhat conversationally, though he could hear the hint there, wanted to latch onto it and allow himself to become tangled within it, "if you ever find yourself at a loose end, feel free to call me and I can set up some sort of trial day?" and to not seem quite so eager, she finished with "this town is only so big you see, a good day's exploration and you've seen it all."

He couldn't help but laugh, tug up some of last night's banter and ask "why Madame Mayor" and something about that title had him feeling naughty, despite the minor so innocently devouring his pancakes beside the brunette that had him so hooked already, "are you trying to poach me?"

She raised her eyebrow at that and he was sure he may have crossed a line with her, was about to apologise for being so brash when she leaned forward the most minute of millimetres and asked him "would you think any less of me if I were to say that I was?" and it was the wink that did it, the way her other eye closed, flickered only slightly with the motion that reminded him that this woman was so much more than the perfect visage she wore every day (or he assumed so with the certain tense way in which other citizens seemed to regard her, polite good mornings if they should pass by the table but nothing more), she was human and he was sure, if she were to outright ask him to remain in town for the foreseeable future in that very moment, he would say yes…and the most frightening thing about it was that it didn't frighten him at all…


	3. Chapter 3

"You've been awfully quiet since we got home, sweetheart," she whispered, her hand running soothingly through his damp hair, mentally noting that he would soon be in need of a haircut as she brought the long strands away from his head with her fingers before letting them fall back to cover his forehead naturally and he wasn't asleep for he was still playing with the fingers of her free hand, bending the digits before straightening them out slowly. Just the contact made her heart sing but the way he sighed heavily against her chest, allowed his head to fall a little heavier into her did nothing to soothe her worry. He'd been nothing but happy since he'd come home with Robin the previous night and during their breakfast but Ruby had asked to speak with him just before they'd left, had wrapped him in a tight hug before sending him back to say goodbye to Robin and it was as though his emotions had flipped around completely.

"I thought she wanted me…" he replied softly, his voice so small as he nuzzled a little further under her chin, the legs he had over hers on the bed curling a little tighter, bringing her a closer to him even with her practically wrapped around his body already, soothing him in the only way she could in that moment.

"Oh Henry…" her heart stuttered painfully within her chest, her own eyes pricking with tears as she felt him begin to shake against her, making her wonder just how long he'd held this within him. She extracted her hand from his hold only to bring it around his waist, shifting herself onto her side in order to allow him to bury his face against her chest as he cried, the angle a little awkward with the legs he still had tucked over hers but she held him tightly to her just the same, pressing tender kisses to every part of him that she could reach as she allowed him to take all that he needed from her. Her precious little boy - she wouldn't make fake promises, wouldn't tell him that someday Emma would miraculously get her act together and sort her life out, Regina didn't know if his birth mother ever could, she hoped, for Henry's sake, that it was possible but she wouldn't give him false hope, not ever.

He remained so very tight against her even long moments later when his tears had subsided, when his frame had stilled once more and he sucked in hiccupped breaths, rubbing the silken material of her shirt between his thumb and index finger for nothing other than comfort as mother and son breathed against one another.

"You used to do that when you were a little boy," she commented after a long moment of basking in the memory, smiling against the top of his head as she rested her cheek there, one hand holding his head in place with a thumb arching a soothing line from his temple and into his hair as the other remained around his waist. _"Really?"_ he asked and she couldn't help but laugh at his curiosity, his throat still a little tight with his anguish and _that won't do_ , so she shifted a little further down the bed, laying her head on his pillow and encouraging him to do the same with gentle hands on his arms pulling him up, helping him as he moved and running her eyes over his face with an affectionate smile when he settled opposite her, rubbing his head into his pillow with red-rimmed eyes that had her heart clenching and her smile growing sad. "You had your own special shirt ready for any time I couldn't be with you to sing you to sleep at night". She was glad when he let out a little breath of laughter, encouraging her to continue with crinkled eyes as she asked him "and do you know what you said when I asked why you liked it so much? Why you couldn't possibly sleep without it?"

He raised his eyebrows a little in an expression of thought, eyes glazed and unfocused as he disappeared into his mind, attempting to form some sort of recollection whilst she watched him, her smile never fading and her patience never dwindling. After a long moment, he shook his head and asked her "what did I say?" recognising the way her features tightened, the way she rolled her lips into her mouth for a moment and her eyes grew glossy as she exhaled a shaky breath and inhaled one just as shuddered, she was trying not to cry and though he hated to see his mother cry, he knew that there was no sadness in it.

"You told me," her throat had grown thick with the emotions that came when she allowed herself to feel the absolute strength of love and fierce affection she held for her boy, "that it smelled like me and that you liked the way I smell," and a tear slipped free then, had his brow furrowing as he brought a hand up to her cheek to wipe it away just as she always would for him, remembering somewhat as he finished for her _"because that's what Mama's smell like."_

* * *

He'd fallen asleep not too long after their conversation, his face buried in the warmth of her chest and arms so tight around her that she'd worried she'd never break free without waking him, not that she particularly wanted to, in reality she believed that she could quite easily remain in her child's embrace for the remainder of her life so long as he didn't grow up and out of cuddles from his mother. She had moved, eventually, after taking a few long moments to just stroke gentle fingers through his hair and watch him inhaling and exhaling, his eyelids flickering subtly as he dreamed and she'd enjoyed the very sight of him in his bed, safe, sound and warm in both his bed and the perimeter of her love.

She made her way downstairs, padding across the cold marble floor of the hallway to the kitchen to pour herself a small glass of rioja before padding her way over to the fridge, standing in the light of the refrigerator, shifting her weight onto one foot as she leaned tiredly against the open door and perused the contents without looking at anything in particular. Her mind was elsewhere, the only elsewhere it had really been since the previous night when those two lights had blinked through the darkness of night and that car had pulled up outside of her house, _his_ car.

She'd barely been able to move from the couch Graham had practically forced her onto for fear that she was going to wear a hole in her own floor with her pacing, _"the right people have been told Regina,"_ he'd attempted to comfort her, _"they'll find him."_ It had done nothing to calm her, not one single thing that he'd tried had, the only thing that could and did was having Henry back in her arms.

In her relief at having her son back within her embrace, at knowing that he was safe and hadn't been running _away_ from her, she'd practically ignored Robin until the moment she'd sent her son inside to get warm and into his pyjamas. When she had noticed him though, had pulled herself up to full height and actually _looked_ at him, well, then she'd most certainly noticed him.

She'd watched him as he'd stepped into her home, his arms swinging aimlessly by his side as he'd remained only in the foyer, intimidated by the place it seemed and it was one of the things she both loved and hated about the mansion. It gave her almost as much power as her title within the town, it helped when dealing with the more difficult members of the town council, the likes of Albert Spencer and Adrian Gold but in times like these, with a man such as Robin in her home looking so very apprehensive and somewhat afraid of the place, of _her_ possibly, these were the times in which she hated it, wished she was nothing more than the restaurant owner she'd wanted to be as a young girl.

He'd accepted a drink easily enough though, had toed off his boots by the door sheepishly even with her insisting he didn't have to, manners had him still removing them as she chuckled and asked him to follow her through to the living room.

She'd settled him on one of the couches, and had asked, flushing gently as she did, if he would mind terribly if she just ran and changed out of her dress quickly, having been in it for the better part of a day and in need of relaxation after all that had gone on. He'd laughed at her expression of guilt at having to leave him for the few minutes it would take for her to change, had told her to go ahead, that he'd be happy to wait for her. She hadn't been long, just long enough to change, give herself a little freshen up (because the man in her living room was rather attractive…more than rather but she'd only just _met_ him!) and checked in with Henry, telling him that he was free to join them for a little while if he wished. She'd been relieved when he'd nodded without hesitance and told her he'd be down shortly.

She'd returned to find Robin looking over her collection of DVD's with great interest, most of them Henry's, his whiskey tumbler held firmly in his grip, resting just above his stomach as his lips quirked at what he found. She cleared her throat after watching him for a moment, glad when her appearance didn't have him floundering to sit as though he'd never moved. " _A fair bit of Disney I see_ ," he'd deduced with a smile, moving to settle back on the couch opposite hers with a quirk of his head as she laughed softly.

" _Now I could lie at this point and blame the collection on my son_ ," she'd revelled in his chuckle, warm and rich with the dim light of the room dancing in the baby blues focused completely on hers, " _but I have to hold my hands up and admit that I do love a good classic_."

" _Your favourite?"_ he'd asked with genuine interest that both surprised and pleased her, there were very few she allowed into her private life for the very reason that the person she became, the mother and woman she truly was, that was saved for her son and, apparently now, Robin. To others she was the hard-faced Mayor, fiercely protective mother and somewhat emotionally cold when it came to friendships or anything more. There had been many speculations that she and Graham were something of an item but she'd studiously ignored those claims and encouraged the Sheriff to do the same.

Her answer was almost instant, her smile wide as she'd told him _"The Little Mermaid."_

His eyebrows raised at that as he asked " _not Snow White then?"_

And she'd scoffed at that, looked practically affronted as she'd told him _"God no!"_ and when he laughed, she continued " _that girl was an absolute idiot! The poster child for stranger danger,"_ and when his laughter only grew louder, his attention turning to Henry as he walked into the room, his own smile in place, before he was looking back to Regina, still laughing when she herself looked to her son and asked, " _would you accept food off of a perfect stranger?"_ giving a smug smile at his answer of _"no,"_ his face a perfect expression that read _duh!?_ " _You see_ ," she'd looked back to Robin, shifting as Henry climbed into her lap with arms wrapping loosely around her neck, his temple coming to rest against the top of her head with the way he was situated on her leg and there was something that flashed in Robin's eyes at that, something like longing that she noted though did not ask about, only allowing him the moment to look without judgement before he was smiling once more.

 _"I see you've been raised well lad,"_ he'd commented, his smile widening at the look of adoration on Regina's face when Henry nodded with a wide grin.

They'd made small talk after that until she'd been sending Henry up and off to bed, whispering her plan for a Granny's breakfast the next morning in his ear and revelling in his excitement before sending him off with a kiss that he returned to her cheek. They'd continued talking after that, talking and drinking and _laughing._ Something Regina hadn't really done (except with her son) for a very long time. It was nice, it was refreshing and, she thought as she leaned over the kitchen island with her thumb swiping at the screen of her phone, scrolling through her contact list, all business numbers save for Henry's school teacher, his Doctor, his babysitter (and her friend, Kathryn) and, now, Robin.

 _"Just in case Granny's is closed…"_ she'd told him when he'd made a move to leave, both of them a little buzzed from the cider she'd pulled out for them to soothe the burn of the whiskey, a poor excuse to have him give her his number in return but he had with ease and with a warm smile that had made her tingle, those dimples something of a weakness that she'd never known she had.

She lingered over the number, hesitating for just a moment before throwing caution to the wind (because she _never_ did that) and tapping the speech icon, typing out a quick message attempting to sound at least a little indifferent to the answer (knowing he'd see straight through it):

 _Have you given any more thought to the job? – R_

She allowed herself to feel only a small amount of shame in the fact that she spent 5 more minutes deliberating whether or not to type a kiss at the end, just one simple _x_ that held so much weight in her mind. She left it off though as she pressed send, nerves churning within her stomach as she placed the phone back upon the granite countertop and waited like some kind of schoolgirl awaiting a response from her crush. _I've only just met the man!_

She heaved a deep sigh and grabbed at the phone still blank, taking her wine glass into the other hand and padding her way into the living room once more, so very set on succumbing to one of her guilty pleasures on the sofa and letting her day just drift away from her.

Opening the door and stepping into the living room, she shivered a little, a chill in the room that had her frowning gently and setting her phone down onto the coffee table before moving to light a fire. She loved nights like these, when she could kick off her heels and just allow her Mayoral mask to fall away from her. Often she'd allow Henry to stay up a little later to watch a movie with her, knowing full well that he'd be heavy and sleepy against her long before the credits rolled. She'd wrap an arm around him, allow him to fall asleep with his head in her lap and her gentle fingers in his hair before she'd carefully extract herself from him and lift him into her arms. She loved the way he'd lay his head on her shoulder and arms around her neck, keep himself in place with legs wrapped around her waist and mumble sleep talk in her ear as she'd carry him up to bed. He was getting a little too big for that now though, had her groaning quietly on those nights when she'd lift him, an ache settling in her heart when she realised that soon she'd be unable to lift him at all.

She shook away such thoughts though as she stoked at the flames, smiling at the warmth of the fire as she straightened out and moved over to her DVD collection, fingers skimming across the titles before falling upon just what she needed right now – a romantic comedy and an old one at that. It was one of the very few that Henry refused to watch with her. _"It's boring Mom!"_ he'd complain when she'd dare to suggest it and she'd tell him that some things didn't have to be filled with slap stick falls and obvious humour, that sometimes the subtle, plot driven movies were the best. He'd disagreed.

It was as she'd slid the disc into the DVD machine and lowered herself onto her couch, sinking into her cushions with a long hum, ready to skip through annoying trailers and just get to the movie, that her phone screen lit up on the table. _Typical._ She couldn't complain too much, however, when she found it to be from Robin.

 _I'm definitely going to stay for a little while,_ and that had her smile growing at the thought of him remaining in town even only temporarily, _and then I'll make a decision but I am certainly grateful for the offer. How is your night shaping up so far? R x_

Her eyes honed in on the _x_ instantly, and she wanted to scold herself for being so idiotic over a damn letter but still, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was only natural, right? For a woman so very alone in the aspect of friendships and… _more_ (though this was far too new to be seen as even a friendship let alone anything more), she was allowed to get excited over this? (It was times like these that she wished she was able to open up a little more when Kathryn attempted something resembling 'girl talk', times that her schoolgirl flutters could be validated by someone who'd been through this before. (It saddened Regina sometimes to see just how sour Kathryn's marriage had turned, how she and David could barely remain in the same room as one another anymore and how the woman just _had_ to know of the heady glances verging-on-affair thing going on with her husband and that nitwitted school teacher whom Regina hardly ever spoke of with the history between them).

She bit at her lip as she considered her reply and since when was Regina Mills left with nothing to say? It was ridiculous, _she_ was ridiculous.

 _Well, after a particularly lovely snuggle with my little man,_ and she wouldn't divulge Henry's earlier distress to Robin because, although he had brought her son back to her, he was not privy to their private moments, _I am about to watch one of my very favourite movies._ and, after another long moment of deliberating, she finished it off with her own _x._

She rolled her eyes at herself, about to place the phone back down and start her movie when it buzzed in her hand, her eyes instantly drawn to it.

 _And which would that be? The Little Mermaid? Or something of the same wonderful calibre? x_

She laughed at that, a warm chuckle of a thing so foreign when rumbling from her own throat and it had her pausing for a moment, enjoying the feeling before she was typing back a response, smiling at her phone like an absolute idiot the entire time.

 _Nothing quite as special tonight I'm afraid, just a little_ While You Were Sleeping _to wind down to with a glass of rioja, how is your night so far? x_

 _That sounds like absolute heaven, mine is not so exciting I'm afraid. My television appears to have broken quite some time ago and so I have spent the last half hour or so counting the patterned tiles on my ceiling xx_

Two…there were two now…did that mean something?

 _That B &B is in need of a good renovation, perhaps I should add it to the weekly agenda as something to discuss…that truly does sound dire though xx_

She could imagine him, spread across his bed, staring up at the ceiling…and would he be shirtless or in some sort of a pajama set, in sweats or in boxer shorts? The light on her phone distracted her from a path her mind should most certainly not be going down.

 _It truly is,_ and was he mocking her? She chuckled softly as she continued to read, _and it's so very lonely xx_

Was he flirting now? Her brow furrowed as she looked over his text, completely unsure of what to do in this instance because if she invited him over, which she truly wanted to do in this moment, would that come across as eager or as desperate? If she brushed him off, _didn't_ invite him over, would that come off as her being _un_ interested, something she most certainly wasn't…it was something that had her biting at her lip once more as she moved her thumbs aimlessly above the glass of the screen. _"If ever we were to lose one another,"_ Daniel had whispered to her one night when they'd lain bare and sated in one another's arms, limbs tangled and noses brushing as they'd breathed one another in, _"I'd want you to go on Regina,"_ and before she'd been able to stop him, to tell him to stop being so foolish, he'd pressed a tender kiss to her swollen lips and told her _"I'd want you to love again."_ It was those words ringing through her head, the same words she'd gone over and over since his death, that had her typing out her reply with nothing but butterflies in her stomach.

 _You are more than welcome here, I have the fire burning and more than enough wine for us both xx_

His reply only doubled her giddy nerves.

 _I'll be right there xxx_


	4. Chapter 4

His arm rested upon the length of the couch back, just inches away from the shoulder she had pressed against it. He'd moved to sit on the opposite couch once more when he'd arrived, until she'd pointed out that he'd be unable to see much of the movie from that position. She'd hoped so very much that she'd left the light dim enough to shadow the blush that coloured her cheeks when he laughed at the truth of the her statement and came to sit beside her. It was a reasonable distance away but to her it felt as though he could feel every carefully measured breath, that every shy glance she sent his way would have her looking like some damn schoolgirl with a foolish crush. It hadn't been long though until they'd practically forgotten the movie altogether in favour of good old conversation.

"Daddy always liked when I'd cook with him," she explained after yet _another_ compliment from him as he finished the homemade pizza she'd put in the oven when he'd decided to come over, already excited at the prospect of asking her son to help her make a replacement to keep in the refrigerator. He loved coming up with new - and sometimes strange - creations, different toppings each time Henry was allowed free reign of her ingredients as he discovered his likes and dislikes and Regina, well she was always at her happiest when spending time with her son. "Mother always believed there were better things I could've been doing with my time but he'd just wink and tell me to ignore her, they'd argue a little later but he didn't care, so long as I was happy."

His eyes crinkled with his smile, head tilting just so as he told her "he sounds like a wonderful man."

Regina's smile turned sad as she replied with a quiet "he was," her eyes moving to find the picture of her father and herself that she kept on her coffee table, both of their faces covered in chocolate cake as they laughed at the camera. It was one of the rare afternoons that her mother had fully let go and allowed herself to laugh and play with her husband and daughter and it was a memory that Regina treasure dearly. She was brought out of her reveries at the feeling of a gentle hand on her shoulder and she smiled when she found Robin watching her, offering her the comfort she needed. "I love talking about him," she explained after swallowing down the lump in her throat, "Henry asks about him all of the time and we go visit his grave every week but sometimes…" she brought her own hand up to rest atop his, fingers curling around to touch his palm as she continued "it's hard knowing that I'll never see him again, that I won't ever hear his laugh."

Robin nodded gently, his thumb lifting to swipe over the back of her hand as he told her "I understand," and when her head tilted in question, hearing something in his tone, he divulged "I lost my wife, my Marian, three years ago" it was Regina who offered comfort now, bringing both of their hands into the space between them, "and, though I don't talk about her to many who didn't already know her," she smiled at that, understanding that he was sharing something special with her, "each time I do, I'm reminded of the little things I was starting to forget."

A comfortable silence fell over them, a moment needed to gather their thoughts and their emotions after what had just been shared between the two of them. Her thumb skated across the back of his hand, still in her grip, before she was inhaling a deep breath and letting it out on a cleansing exhale. "What do you say we just get everything out in the open?" and when he looked to her with his brow furrowed, she elaborated "we could ask questions about the things we want to know, you know...get to know each other a little better?" She tried hard not to flush at the suggestiveness of her explanation, shifting in her seat a little before stipulating "but if there's something we don't want to answer-"

"Then we won't," he smiled back at her and she was glad that he seemed to be going along with the idea, excited at the prospect of getting to know more about this man, her son's saviour and someone she felt was becoming a fast friend.

"Exactly."

"Well then," he shifted in his seat until his knees were touching the ones she had bent up on the sofa, getting himself comfortable before telling her with a smirk "I'm game if you are."

.

* * *

They'd begun on the easy things at first, taking mercy on one another and asking unimportant things such as _what is your favourite colour?_ Purple for her, green for him and such inconsequential things such as their favourite foods, both rather quick to answer with Italian ( _"I loved my father's cooking but there's just something about a good pasta sauce")._ She'd learned that he had a younger brother, Will, who owned and ran a rather successful restaurant in Boston and that his parents, Edward and Rose, were both still very much alive and residing in the south of England in a seaside town called Exmouth that sounded quite beautiful.

She, in turn, had confided in him her childhood dream of owning and running her own restaurant right here in town. She'd told him about the menus her father would help her to create, how he'd turn their dining room into a mini bistro for the afternoon and sample the dishes she'd create. He'd chuckled at the image of a six year old Regina with a chef's hat and apron taking her father's order (and a number of her more precious teddy bears) before she'd swatted at his shoulder and told him to stop teasing her.

Then, things had grown serious once more when Robin asked of how Regina came to adopt Henry.

"I had difficulty conceiving naturally when Daniel and I decided we wanted to start a family," she explains softly, her eyes focused on the glass she has resting upon one of her bent knees, the wine coating the insides of it as she rotates her wrist absentmindedly and he wonders if the position makes her feel a little less vulnerable, a little less exposed for he has never seen her anything but strong in the few weeks since he'd arrived. His own finger taps gently at the glass he has sitting on his thighs as he remains quiet, looks down to it in the hopes that she may feel somewhat better without his eyes on her. She'd agreed to tell him, had _wanted_ to but he understands that it is a difficult subject to talk about, especially as she'd already spoken of how she believed that she'd always have the fear he would run from her to the woman he had come to know as his birth mother.

Apparently Emma had been meant to come and visit with Henry in the days prior to Robin finding him in Boston - he hadn't known that - she had been due to arrive on the Thursday and remain in town until the Sunday. She'd left no word as to why she hadn't shown and Henry, with his fanciful, wondrous imagination, had managed to convince himself that something was wrong, that something _had_ to have happened to Emma for her to just not turn up, not even to call (apparently they spoke weekly up until the very week she'd gone off the grid. _"She's most likely taken off with that idiot boyfriend of hers."_ He was a boatman apparently, fancied himself as something of a pirate and was completely wrong for someone as emotionally damaged as what Henry's birth mother was, or so Regina had told him.).

 _"I thought 'this is it',"_ she'd told him with tears coating her eyelashes, a hand running through her dark hair as she'd leaned all of her weight onto her thighs and allowed herself a moment to truly feel the very same fear she had that night, _"'this is it, he's not coming back' and the longer I was without him, the more I realised just how much I need that little boy in my life,"_ she'd cried then, terrible hacking sobs that had had him pulling her into him after placing her cider glass upon the coffee table and holding her in a way that should have felt strange or at least a little awkward to two people who barely knew one another but it didn't, it felt right.

"The doctor told us to take it one day at a time when we began having troubles," she scoffed lightly, bringing

his gaze back up to find her frowning down at her glass now after she'd righted herself and taken a healthy swig to steady her emotions, "as if two days at a time is even an option."

And her laugh is bitter, matched by the shake of his head because she's right, it is possibly the worst advice anyone could give another because it just reminds you just how long the road to healing is and that you have no option but to sit along for the ride. He never used to be so cynical, thinks she may not have been either but maybe that's why he feels this connection with her, maybe that's why he's so drawn to her, they're so very similar, have been darkened by a cruel reality and have most definitely been changed by it. Whether that was for the better or for the worst, he still has yet to identify but it is something of the reason that he had ended up here so maybe…maybe it was for the better.

"And anyway, after Daniel died," he believed that perhaps _that_ particular story would be better left for another night (if this one hasn't brought back too much trauma and put her off ever inviting him round again) so he won't ask, not until she's ready to tell him, "I…well, I didn't feel like doing much of anything if I'm honest, least of all think about children so I kind of shut myself off for a while."

"And did it help?" he asked softly, after giving her a moment to swallow away the thickness in her throat.

She laughed softly, humorlessly before shaking her head and telling him "of course not."

He moved a hand to grasp gently at the one she had resting upon her bent knee, feeling the softness of it as he ducked his head in order to find her eyes, telling her sincerely "I'm sorry Regina."

She smiled graciously at him before shrugging one shoulder and telling him "I'm not," with a smile that looked a little less forced and a little more easy to find, "because without that loneliness, without the need to give all the love that I had building within me to someone, I never would have thought of adoption and I never would have gotten my Henry."

He smiles at that, rubs his thumb over the hand he still has in his grasp, focusing on anything other than how right it felt within his grip again as he told her "that's true," before looking down at their joined hands, leaving a moment of silence for them both before she was speaking again.

"How about we drop the dark stuff for the night and put a dent in my cider?"

* * *

 **The next day**

"You are not to speak to me this morning," she drawled as he stepped over the threshold into her office, her eyes never leaving the piece of paper she'd written her notes upon from her daily meetings even as he slumped into the chair opposite her left by her last visitor with a heavy sigh. She did, however, look up when she caught the scent of coffee drifting over to her from him, her eyes wide with absolute want as he placed a to-go cup on the surface of her desk with a smirk before pushing it gently towards her. The instant it was in her hands she was lifting the lid from the cup, inhaling as deeply as her hangover addled body could handle before sighing "absolute god among men" which had him asking _"am I forgiven then?"_ as he sipped from his own cup with a smirk, prompting her to reply with a poorly contained smirk "it is yet to be decided."

He chuckled into his cup good-naturedly, wondering just how she looked so put together even with all that they had drank yesterday, putting far more than just a _dent_ in her decanter of cider. "Do you honestly feel that bad?" he asked, laughing all the more at the pointed glare he received before he was telling her "well, you look just as beautiful as ever," and there was a gentle blush colouring her cheeks when she waved a hand in his direction as though to brush him off as she rolled her eyes and sighed _"flatterer."_ His laughter died down but his smile remained as he watched her take her first sip, smirking at the loud moan that rumbled from her throat at both the taste and the sensation of caffeine finally hitting her system. She hadn't had time for a cup that morning, he knew this having awoken to her rolling off of him with an ungraceful grunt as she'd stood on unsteady feet and ran as fast as was possible in her delicate state to get ready for work.

 _"You're the damn Mayor! Who's going to know!?"_ he'd called after her, glad to find them both clothed and so very grateful that he hadn't done anything stupid the night before because if he were to do something as stupid as to, say, act on his feelings and _kiss_ her, well he'd at least want a very clear memory of it for he was sure that he'd be very unlikely to have another chance to. It was the only reason he _hadn't_ even attempted to kiss her, the thought of losing her friendship was one he didn't allow to linger in his mind for very long. It was better this way. He still got to have her in his life and though it was not in the capacity that his heart desired, it was enough, she was enough.

"Do you have plans for dinner tonight?"

He found her with eyebrows raised in question when he looked up, a little more colour in her features with the strength of the coffee he'd gotten her (he certainly owed Ruby now) and genuine hope in her dark eyes that had him answering instantly. "None that can't be changed."

"Good," she gave him a pleasant smile, relaxing a little in her chair as she eyed him over the Styrofoam cup in her hands and told him "I'm making Henry's favourite."


	5. Chapter 5

"You look really pretty, Mom."

She startled at the sound of her son's voice, turning to find him leaning against her bedroom door jamb with a wide smile for her that had her own red lips curling. She was wearing a champagne hued silk shirt dress that rested three quarters of the way down her thighs and allowed enough modesty to leave her legs bare. Her feet were free of the patent leather black heels she would slip on before heading downstairs, toes painted the same matte black as her fingernails.

She'd blown her hair out as always though left the ends a little straighter than she usually did without rhyme or reason as to why but simply because she quite enjoyed the the subtle change. Her makeup was equally as subtle save for the bold red of her lips. All in all, she found she quite liked the look.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome," he grinned before moving further into the room and climbing up to sit cross-legged on her bed.

She turned back to her mirror, a smile in her eyes as she rubbed her lips together, ensuring that her lipstick was slick and smooth, her gaze darting from her own face to find Henry watching her and back to her reflection again with a small chuckle. He'd always been fascinated with watching her apply makeup.

"Do you like Robin, Mom?"

Her brow furrowed as she fluffed out the ends of her hair over the collar of her dress, "of course I do, sweetheart." and then, "he's become a good friend."

"No!" he replied on a laugh that had her turning to look at him properly, "do you _like_ like him?"

"I-" she started, rather taken aback at his question, "why would you ask such a thing?"

"I think he likes you," he continued as though she hadn't spoken, "I think he likes you a lot."

She could feel her cheeks heating as she tried to cut him off but to no avail.

"He's cool to talk to and he knows neat stuff, plus you two really get along already so I know he wouldn't be mean to you or anything and you laugh a lot when you're together so that's good. I like when you laugh."

She was speechless at his rambling, lips parted in shock as he continued regardless.

"I think he's planning on staying in town anyway so I think you should go for it, Mom." He slipped back and down from her bed, about to walk away before he turned back with a gentle cringe and requested "just don't kiss in front of me, okay?" and without waiting for an answer, he simply turned on his heel and walked away leaving her completely dumbfounded and unaware that the little mastermind had swiped her phone from atop her bed.

* * *

 **RM -** _come straight in when you get here, no need to knock xx_

Robin smiled down at his phone, a little surprised at the extra kiss she'd added on but choosing not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he merely replied with a terribly cheesy _sure thing_ , making sure to add the exact same amount of kisses as she had - was he really being so pathetic?

In all honesty, Regina Mills had reduced him to nothing more than a blundering fool since the very first day that he'd met her and now that he'd gotten to know the beautiful soul behind the beautiful face, he had absolutely no hope at all.

She was his friend though. Nothing more - even if he dreamt of holding her in his arms, wondered almost constantly how she'd feel pressed against him with her face buried in the crook of his neck.

It was a mantra he'd been repeating to himself for a while now but it was one he was going to stick by. Unless Regina gave him any kind of indication - clearer than an extra _x_ at the end of a text - he was going to do nothing more than be the best kind of friend he could to her. Even if his heart yearned for so much more.

* * *

"Have you always liked to cook, mom?"

She glanced up from the mince meat she was stirring through the passata, turning only her head to find Henry watching her with the cheese already grated into a bowl beside him. Her smile came easily, "I suppose you could say that," she shrugged before adding "but never as much as when you were old enough to help."

"I still think you should get rid of that apron," he rolled his eyes as her incredulous gasp before whining "it's covered in brownie stains."

"Because you absolutely loved when we cooked brownies!" Her heart ached at the memory of him toddling about the kitchen with the batter in his little hands, licking the end clean and covering most of his face with it. "I couldn't bear to part with it, it's too precious."

"You say that about all of my things, Mom."

She shook her head as she turned back to stir the meat sauce as she told him "because I love you and the memories we have together. You're growing up so quickly," she sighed, "forgive me for wanting to remember every single moment."

There were a few moments of silence in which she assumed he was rolling his eyes at her and so was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and she felt a cheek pressed to her back.

She quickly turned the burner off and moved the pan towards the back of the stove, setting it down at a safe distance before tugging at Henry's arms enough to allow her to spin round.

He fell back into her with his cheek pressed to her chest this time, his grip strong as he murmured a muffled "Thank you for loving me, Mom."

Anyone else, any other mother, would have frowned at the statement but she knew why he was saying it, knew the pain in his heart and so she only whispered an emotional "it is no hardship, my darling" lifting a hand to hold his head to her as her other arm held him just as tight against her. "Things will change," she assured him, hoping there to be truth to her words, "she'll change." And then, because it really was the truth, "she loves you, Henry."

"I know," he sniffled, nuzzling in further against her, "but still," he continued, "thank you for choosing to love me, Mom."

She pressed a kiss to the top of his head before resting her own there and closing her eyes and she rocked them both gently from side to side. "You're welcome."

He lingered for only a moment more, the back of her dress clutched in his fists, before he inhaled a deep breath and pulled back, laughing when she instantly moved to wipe his tears from his cheeks with an adoring smile. "I got your dress wet."

Sure enough, when she looked down to her chest she found a damp patch left behind but merely shrugged before looking back to him "I'll be your hanky any time, sweetheart."

She was glad when he laughed and rolled his eyes at her, happy to see that he was slowly picking himself back up. She also made a mental note to try and track down his damn biological mother and talk some sense into her. It was as she moved to ensure that he really was okay that they both turned their heads at the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"Mills family?"

They both shared a smile at the sound of Robin's voice before Henry was bounding off and through the kitchen door with an excited "Robin!" that had her smile only widening - she ignored the butterflies in her stomach, _that was new_ \- as she turned back to continue cooking dinner.

"I'm early…" he winced as he came to rest in the doorway, eyes on the stove.

She shook her head, "it's fine," and then "you can keep that one entertained" with a look to Henry when he came skipping through the doorway happily, slipping between Robin and the wall.

"My pleasure," he grinned back at her, dimples denting his cheeks as he pushed off of the wall. "For you, m'lady" he offered her a bottle of red wine when he grew close enough and bowed low, chuckling when she rolled her eyes at him as he straightened out again.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied easily before turning his attention to her son and allowing her eyes to wander rather shamelessly - she could kill Henry for putting the idea of anything more than friendship in her mind, now she couldn't think of anything other than how tight Robin's jeans were - over Robin's figure.

He was wearing a white button down shirt tucked into blue jeans. His leather jacket was a deep brown and looked well-worn and around his neck was a thin grey scarf that she thought looked to be more for show than any other purpose. His hair was styled how it usually was and she could smell the scent of his aftershave, very familiar yet tonight, with Henry's assumptions, she found herself rather stunned by him and the realisation that she could imagine more with him.

She could imagine nights like these, when he would come over - that's if he was still to be staying in town, he hadn't yet told her his decision if he'd made one - and help keep Henry occupied whilst she cooked them a meal...or perhaps he would. Perhaps some nights she'd come home to find him cooking at the stove, wearing a smile for her and nothing el-

"Mom!"

She jerked into awareness at her son's cry, realising just in time that her bechamel sauce was about to be scorched. Instantly she grabbed at the handle, hissing when she felt how hot the metal had gotten - why she hadn't grabbed one with a plastic handle, she didn't know - before throwing it to the back of the stove and turning off the burner.

"Regina," Robin was by her side in an instant, "are you okay?"

She wouldn't look at him, not with the tears gathering in her eyes at just how much her hand stung but instead she gritted out a strained "I'm fine" that was fooling no one, especially not him.

He drew closer to her so that he could touch his fingers to her elbow, "please," he requested softly, "may I take a look?" his palm curled around the back of her own, lightly touching until she finally nodded with a sigh and allowed him to guide it towards him, taking in the crease of his brow as he cringed at the already reddening skin. "Can I just-" he lifted his other hand to slip the button of her dress cuff through the hole, folding it back from her wrist as best he could with one hand before asking her to follow him to the sink.

"Are you okay, Mom?"

She turned only her head to find Henry looking rather scared from his place at the kitchen island. Nodding, she told him "I'm fine, sweetheart," whilst Robin waited for the proper water temperature behind her, "just a little burn, nothing to worry about."

"Okay," Robin breathed, "I'm sorry if this hurts."

She hissed involuntarily the moment the water - tepid, not cold - washed over her skin but smiled at his whispered " _I'm sorry,_ " because only a second later she could feel the relief of the cold washing over her palm.

Robin smiled at her sigh, chuckling softly as he asked "better?" and she nodded in reply, eyes falling closed.

The water felt amazing as it coated her hand and trickled down from her palm as Robin tilted it this way and that with a tender touch that she seemed to focus on after a long moment. He'd touched her before, had squeezed her knee for comfort, had held her hand briefly during conversation and had even hugged her but now, knowing what her son believed, it felt different - heightened.

Her breathing changed with her awareness as her eyes snapped open. His focus was on her hand, his brow furrowed as he looked to the wounded skin. "Do you have any saran wrap?" He glanced up at her, "just to cover it until we can get it sorted properly?"

That had her frowning "I'm not going to the hospital" snapping out of her mindless staring as nerves took root in her stomach.

"Someone may need to-"

"Not a chance." She shook her head, tugging her hand back but he kept her in place with a slightly firmer grip - not forcing her to stay, more like requesting.

"Mom's scared of hospitals."

Her head snapped around to direct her stern glare at her son. "Henry-"

"And she's terrified of needles, she almost fainted when I had my jabs."

"Oh my god."

Robin chuckled at her utterance, watching as her eyes closed in mortification and Henry laughed with him. "The most they'll do is wrap it up for you, Regina" he promised, waiting for her to turn back to him and smiling gently "I could always take you in the morning once you've dropped Henry to school?" and when she bit at her lip, unsure, he offered "even if only for moral support?"

She sighed heavily, still seemingly both a little embarrassed and nervous about the prospect of visiting the hospital before she nodded gently.

* * *

"Is your hand okay?"

His small fingers curled around her wrist as he looked at the hand she had resting palm up on his bed, her other hand supporting her weight beside his ribs as she settled him into bed. Her smile was soft as she nodded, "much better now, sweetheart."

"Good," he rubbed his thumb over her wrist "but promise you'll let Robin take you to the hospital."

"It's really not that ba-"

"Mom." He levelled her with a glare that was all her, one that had her mouth snapping shut as she held it steadily before relenting with an overly-dramatic roll of her eyes that had him chuckling in his bed. "Robin will take care of you."

Her smile slowly faded at that. "Henry-"

"I mean as a friend, Mom" he clarified gently, "if I'm right or wrong about him _like_ liking you, I know for a fact that he cares about you either way."

"Even still," she sighed, pushing down the butterflies that came with the thought of Robin's affections, "I don't want you to get your hopes up, he may not even be staying in town yet."

He hummed his understanding but she could still see the hope in those beautifully dark eyes. With a heavy exhalation, she leaned forward enough to brush his hair back from his forehead and press her lips to the warm skin there, her eyes closing as her love for her boy filled her up. "Get some sleep, sweetheart."

She was glad to see that his eyes remained closed when she pulled back enough to watch him for a few moments and overjoyed when he whispered "I love you, Mom."

Regina couldn't help but to kiss his forehead one last time before standing from the bed and whispering "I love you too, Henry." Making sure to switch his light off and pull his door closed slightly.

* * *

She found him in the kitchen upon reaching the ground floor.

"You didn't have to do that," she frowned guiltily when she entered the room and caught him standing at the sink, elbows deep in sudsy water as he washed their plates from the meal that _he'd_ had to cook after her idiotic accident.

Robin turned his head at the sound of her voice, smiling at the sight of her before shrugging "it's no bother," and then "plus, we don't want to aggravate that hand. How're you feeling, by the way?"

She nodded, "the paracetamol has kicked in, it's nothing more than a slight irritation now."

"I still think we should-"

"You've convinced me enough, Robin" she cut him off with a gentle, if a little exasperated, laugh, "I will allow you to escort me to the hospital tomorrow morning."

He grinned at her, "good," and then "for a moment there I was afraid I was going to have to drag you kicking and screaming from your office."

"You could try," she teased on a smirk, "but you most certainly wouldn't win."

He chuckled before turning back to the dishes and mused "now that I don't doubt."

Her smile faded slowly with the silence as she moved to lean against the kitchen counter and then, quietly and tentatively, began making her way over to the sink and leaned her hip against the countertop so that she was facing him. He smiled at the change, glancing at her quickly before looking back to the pan he was working on. "Thank you."

"They're only dishes, Regina" he chuckled good-naturedly but it died down the moment he turned to find her expression was quite serious. She was sure she looked as terrified as she felt.

Her head shook, "I meant for all that you've done for me since you arrived here."

"You've already thanked me for that," he reminded her gently, pulling the plug from the drain with the last of the dishes now drying on the rack and the pot he'd been cleaning done and turned to face her properly. "Anyone would have done the same-"

"No they wouldn't."

"Any _decent_ person would have done the same."

She chuckled at his amendment, rolling her eyes and conceding "even so," before she lost a little of her nerve and allowed her eyes to drop to the countertop, "you've done far more than has ever been expected of you and, for what it's worth, Henry and myself are very grateful to have had you around."

"You're talking as though you're never going to see me again."

She shrugged, "is that not a possibility?"

"Not likely," he replied, his tone pulling her gaze back to his and increasing her heart rate as he drew closer to her, eyes steady on her own.

She swallowed thickly as she watched him approach her, eyes dropping to his lips before she lifted them once more and tapped her fingers nervously atop the counter.

"I haven't yet made the decision to stay, Regina" he explained softly, his own fingers trailing along the granite surface until they were mere inches from her own, "but you're certainly swaying me."

Her stomach fluttered as her lips parted gently, his words seeping into her body and pulling forth that damn hopeful little girl inside of her just looking for someone to love. "H-Henry and me?"

He rocked his head atop his shoulders as he agreed "I have certainly found myself growing extremely fond of your boy, Regina."

A small smile curled her lips at that, even as she fought back her nerves. "He thinks you're attracted to me" she laughed breathlessly.

That stopped him for only a moment before he replied "he's very perceptive." and practically stopped her heart altogether.

"You are?"

"Most definitely" he replied on a heavy breath that screamed relief, "I have been since the day we met and my feelings for you have only grown with every new day."

She gasped quietly before her head shook. "Why haven't you told me this before?"

"Because I was afraid of losing you," he laughed gently, eyebrows lifting as he explained "I'd rather have you in my life as just a friend if nothing else at all, Regina. You've come to mean an awful lot to me in such a short amount of time that I'd call it ridiculous if it wasn't so strong a feeling."

Her eyes dropped to their hands, fingertips only millimetres apart before she replied "You mean a lot to me too, Robin," and lifted her eyes to his slowly, "more than I think I'd come to realise before tonight."

"Before Henry pointed out my feelings?" Robin asked, taking the half a step closer to diminish the last bit of space between them and stealing her breath from her lungs as her lips parted gently and she nodded. He grinned, "remind me to take him for ice cream one day soon," and though her laughter was breathy, it was still genuine. He was putting her a little more at ease even as he leaned close enough to whisper into her ear "may I take you for dinner tomorrow night?" he pressed a feather light kiss to her cheek, "just the two of us?"

She allowed herself to lean a little into him, eyes closing as she revelled in the feeling of his lips on her skin and tried to remember how to breathe as she whispered back "I'd like that," and stroked a finger down the length of his own whilst her other hand lifted to curl her fingers around the arm that was bent so that he could hold her waist. How the hell had she not realised this before?

* * *

She couldn't stop grinning as she made her way upstairs, the thought of tomorrow night pushing away the fear of tomorrow morning. He liked her.

Then the worry of what she was going to wear, to do her hair like, how to do her makeup began to take root. She hadn't been on a date in so very long. Graham had taken her out once, their harmless flirting convincing them both that perhaps there was something there but there hadn't been.

Still, she already knew it was there with Robin, could already feel the flaming embers of anticipation lighting within her once more. She wasn't going to place much stock in it, not when his future here was still so uncertain but a date with him, even if it was only one, would surely be with the disappointment if he truly did leave.

She sighed heavily, already making the conscious decision to just enjoy herself tomorrow and not allow anything to ruin it as she passed Henry's room and was stopped by a smug _"told you so"_ that had her gasping with a wide, incredulous smile before she muttered an amused "go to sleep, brat." and continued on her way to bed to the sound of her son's laughter.


End file.
